Mini Turkey Meatloaves – A Clean Eating Recipe

Posted on Monday, March 18th, 2013.

Alternately titled: What I Eat for Lunch Almost Everyday. This is one of my favorite go-to recipes because it’s packed with protein and fiber, low in fat and carbohydrates, tastes really yummy and is filling too, plus there’s hardly any effort required during the week when you’re so busy and can’t be bothered with any meal prep that takes longer than 5 minutes. I like to make these mini turkey meatloaves in muffin tins because 1.) they cook faster than in a loaf pan, so even if you’re not making these ahead, you can have dinner ready in about 40 minutes and 2.) they are perfectly and neatly portioned. I usually make a batch at the beginning of the week and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, grabbing a couple at lunchtime throughout the week.

My grocery store just started carrying organic, free range ground turkey which makes me so happy, but you could use whatever ground meat you wanted. I always say go for the highest quality meat you can afford – it’s better for you, usually the environment and tastes better. Ground chicken actually holds flavor a little better so that’s my second choice, but you could use (and I have used) beef as well for a more traditional meatloaf experience.

This comes together very easily – just mash up all the ingredients and spoon in to muffin tins. And no, you do not need a Kitchenaid mixer to make this recipe however if you do have one, use it! Saves your hands the ewwy-gewwy work and mixes up super fast.

The topping is totally optional, but I just love the extra flavor it adds so I never miss it. Find the lowest sugar (no high-fructose corn syrup) ketchup you can find and add a little bit of dried mustard and a sweetener of choice. I like to use xylitol because it’s granular, but you could also use honey, Splenda, stevia – and yes, regular sugar (or brown sugar) if you prefer.

To reheat these, I pop em in the microwave for 2 minutes on 50% power and that usually gets them heated all the way through. A serving size is two or three of these muffins, and pair it with a salad or some extra veggies on the side and you have one delicious, healthy meal that requires very little effort after the making the batch. These travel well too, so take these to work or even in a cooler on a road trip (Parker and I packed some in our cooler when we drove up to Maryland a couple weeks ago – we didn’t reheat them, obviously, but they were still good). Enjoy!

Clean-Eating Turkey Meatloaf Muffins

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey

1 cup grated zucchini (or more if you have some left over – throw it all in there!)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients, either by hand or with a standmixer, until well combined. Spoon equal amounts in to a 12-cup muffin tin. Bake for 30 minutes. Take out and spoon ketchup mixture on top, and place back in oven for remaining 5 minutes.

Serve immediately, or once cooled, place in airtight container and store in the refrigerator. To reheat, place two or three on microwave safe plate in microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes or until heated completely through.

Oh, yum, that sounds good! I’ve never thought of that before, but it might work. Carrots are denser than zucchini so you might get more of a texture using it, but I would still try it. If you do try it, let me know how it goes! I’m interested to see if you have success :)

Gonna try this this week! We are a clean eating family happy to have found this recipe to try!
Questions…
1 – If i want to use whole eggs (not just yolks).. should i use two whole eggs?
2 – Can i make this in loaf form with out timing and temp changes?
3 – also was thinking of adding chopped celery and carrots ..while keeping the zucchini. would that work?

I just made these tonight! :) Do you know how long these will last in the refrigerator before I’d have to freeze them? I made the batch of 12 for myself, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat all 12 this week. Thanks!

Was back on this page since I’ve been craving these, and just realized I haven’t reviewed them! I really love these mini meatloaves – they freeze wonderfully, have great flavour, and are very Weight Watcher-friendly. I used quick oats in these and they turned out great! Can’t wait to make ’em again for lunches/quick dinners this week :)

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